The design of integrated circuits (IC) products involves difficult and complex processes. For example, IC customers may request an IC product that has certain functionalities that may be fulfilled with one or more pre-existing packaged ICs. In this scenario, sometimes new or “combo” IC packages are designed in or on which the pre-existing IC packages are combined and interconnected. The new IC packages, in turn, are delivered to the customer to be connected in the customer's particular application. The overall goal for package designers is to deliver IC packages having a variety of circuit functionalities quickly, efficiently, and as economically as possible.
Meeting these goals, however, poses many problems for package designers. Although computer aided design tools are widely available, the package design process is still very complex. The process typically involves designing a package to which the pre-existing ICs can be mounted, with interconnects arranged so that a package can be delivered to the customer to meet his own fabrication needs. In order to do this, the package must be tested with the pre-existing IC packages in place, a process in itself which takes a considerable amount of time. Each product must be individually designed, fabricated, and tested. However, if a customer (or another customer) desires a related product, it must be individually designed from scratch, again requiring time and resources to build. This can often be frustrating for the customer.
Oftentimes, multiple pre-existing IC packages are connected in a single package; however, if it is desired to divide the product into multiple packages, each package needs to be regarded as a new product. This again requires a new package design to be completed from scratch. Additionally, even though a portion of the product existed in the old design, the new product needs to be evaluated and tested to guarantee its performance in the new package. This traditional approach requires each package to be simulated and custom designed to meet the electrical requirement and substrate manufacture process, which can take twelve months or more to complete. To support an integrated circuit chip being used in two different products, either the resources needed to be doubled, or the development cycle time made longer.
What is needed is a method and apparatus to save design and verification cycle time in integrated circuit and integrated circuit package design.